Baked Pasta Primavera

This is the easiest meal to put together, especially when feeding a crowd. Alternatively, I just make an entire batch of this pasta for myself… and I eat it all week long because I cannot get enough of it!

My kids love pasta so this is a great dish for the whole family. Granted, I do make theirs separate without all the veggies. Or you can always grind up some veggies into the sauce and sneak it in that way. My kids are too smart for that trick, “Mom, it tastes weird”.

The secret to this recipe is to buy a good quality jarred sauce. Not from a can, not even from a 5 dollar jar. I’m talking high end, 10 bucks a jar, marinara. That is the key!

This is a simple 3 step recipe that will feed you all week. Saute your favourite vegetables, mix it in with pasta and cheese and then bake. In about an hour, from start to finish, you will have an amazing pasta dish worth gossiping about!

Baked Pasta Primavera

Yield: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
3-4 mushrooms, sliced
1 small red pepper, sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup broccoli florets
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
375g box of pasta, penne or fussili work best
1 jar good quality marinara
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 + 1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
Salt/pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pan, saute up the zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, brocooli and carrot in a tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook until soft. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and place back into the pot.
3. Add in the tomato sauce, sauteed vegetables, spinach, parsley, feta and 1/4 cup mozzarella. Mix until combined.
4. Place the pasta mixture into a greased 9 X 13 baking tray. Add on the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and dollop some extra tomato sauce on top (optional).
5. Bake, covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese melted. Enjoy!